The first public hydrogen refueling
station in California with integrated hydrogen and gasoline refueling
is now open, providing drivers in Chevrolet's Project Driveway another
location to refuel their Equinox fuel cell vehicles, currently on the
roads throughout Southern California.
Los
Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl and Graeme Sweeney, Executive
Vice President for Shell Future Fuels and CO2 were among those who
participated in today's dedication ceremony.
The
station is the third Shell Hydrogen vehicle refueling stations in the
U.S. as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen Vehicle and
Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project (DOE Learning
Demo). Other Shell Hydrogen stations already in operation are located
in Washington, D.C. and White Plains, NY. GM and Shell Hydrogen are
teamed up under the DOE Learning Demo to deploy fuel cell electric
vehicles and install hydrogen stations in Southern California,
Washington, D.C. and the New York City metropolitan area.
"The
hydrogen infrastructure for automobiles is economically viable and
do-able," said Larry Burns, Ph.D., General Motors Vice President,
Research & Development and Strategic Planning. "It requires a
collective will by automakers, energy suppliers, and governments who
have the courage to shape our destiny and take infrastructure to the
next level. We applaud Shell for their forward-thinking efforts to help
advance the hydrogen infrastructure."
The
Santa Monica Boulevard Shell station is conveniently located for many
Project Driveway customers who want to refuel their Chevrolet Equinox
Fuel Cell electric vehicles on LA's West Side. It is also California's
first hydrogen refueling station that is integrated with an existing
conventional gasoline station.
"California
is leading the way with clean fuels," said Graeme Sweeney, Executive
Vice President for Shell Future Fuels and CO2. "FCVs powered by
hydrogen, like the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles on roads
throughout Southern California now, will provide a sustainable
transportation choice for the future. We are pleased to be playing our
part to help develop a safe and reliable fueling infrastructure for
future clean energy vehicles."
Hydrogen
produced at the Shell station will be done on-site by the electrolysis
of water using 'green electricity' purchased from the Los Angeles City
Department of Water and Power. It will then be compressed and stored to
provide daily fueling. In addition to the new hydrogen pump, Shell has
converted an unused service bay into a visitor center to help educate
drivers about the use of hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles.
Project Driveway details
Chevrolet's
Project Driveway is putting more than 100 Equinox fuel cell vehicles in
the hands of real customers to help Chevrolet and GM understand what it
will take to bring larger numbers of fuel cell vehicles to customers
around the world. Currently, the program has launched in Los Angeles,
New York City and Washington D.C. with further deployments later this
year in Europe and Asia.
Project Driveway is well-underway now
with vehicles in the hands of five basic constituency groups: "Regular"
consumers who have raised their hands via the internet ; media; public
policy/leaders; business partners (like Disney, and Virgin Atlantic);
and celebrities.
The
zero-emissions Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell SUV is powered by GM's
fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system and meets all applicable
2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The vehicle includes
a range of safety features found on other Chevrolet cars, including
driver and front passenger air bags, anti-lock brakes, and GM's OnStar
telematics service, which will offer drivers advice on operating the
cars as well as information on nearby hydrogen filling stations. The
EPA has certified the hydrogen-powered Equinox Fuel Cell as a
zero-emission vehicle (ZEV).